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Monday, January 21, 2013

TED talk
review

By: Matt
Mackay

Shimon
Schocken's rides of hope- Shimon Schoken

Rating:******(absolutely
inspiring)

I've
seen a lot of TED talks but hands down this has to be one of the most
intelligent and inspiring talks I've seen Shimon has done an amazing
thing with the youth inmates in Israel something that only the
outdoors and mountain biking can do. I never saw the potential for so
many great lessons to come from mountain biking and the way it is
being applied by Shimon is absolutely amazing.

The
TED talk is presented by a scientist named Shimon Schoken who is an
avid mountain biker. And scientist. The talk explains how one day on
a normal bike ride Shimon stops by the youth penitentiary in Israel.
He tells the warden of his idea of starting a mountain biking club
involving the inmates so that they can learn the same life lessons he
did and see the beauty in the country, that they have never seen. In
the beginning it was very rocky and frustrating to deal with the
youth as they would constantly give up at each climb or become
enraged when they fell, they could not deal with frustration. Shimon
learning quickly that confrontation and frustration would not lead to
any improved results, as this is all the youth have ever known. He
understood this and found that staying close even when they wanted to
give up completely, yielded results as the boys could finally feel
close to an adult. The one breakthrough for Shimon was that the only
way they will heal is through love. Through mountain biking Shimon
teaches the youth to focus on words like, perspective and teamwork
and how they relate to there bike rides. Through this experience the
youth learn to love themselves, gain self-respect and key life
lessons that mountain biking through some of the most amazing terrain
in the world will teach them.

This
TED talk has affected me in a big way I have never seen such beauty
in something I do so much. I've never seen mountain biking put into
such a great perspective that has not only shown me a different side
to it, but has also helped many Israeli juveniles heal from there
terrible life struggles and gain the life lessons they need to be
happy. The relation from something as rugged as mountain biking to so
many important life lessons was amazing to me in so many ways i
couldn’t believe that these youth grew so much as people from
biking, something i take for granted here in Canada. I have gained a
very different perspective on mountain biking and will definitely
have a much greater appreciation and sense of how free I truly am
when I’m pedalling myself through some of the beautiful terrain I
see in Canada.

I learned that i don't need to be in some of the
most amazing places for biking to feel freedom and see beauty but
that it can be anywhere even in the most surprising of places.

Citation:
Schockens,Shimon.”Shimon Schocken's rides of hope”.video
on TED.com.TED.web.22 January 2013